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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Big-spending Anzhi Makhachkala have sacked long-serving coach Gadzhi Gadzhiyev, the Russian Premier League club from the volatile North Caucasus region said on Thursday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\"The management of FK Anzhi have decided to relieve head coach Gadzhi Gadzhiyev from his duties,\" the club said on their website (www.fc-anji.ru).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anzhi added that Gadzhiyev's assistant Andrei Gordeyev and Brazilian full back Roberto Carlos, who joined the club in February, would share the coaching duties for now.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anzhi, bankrolled by Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov, made huge headlines last month by luring Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o from Inter Milan to Makhachkala.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 30-year-old signed a three-year deal for a reported annual salary of 20 million euros ($26.8 million), making him the highest paid player in the world.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Despite making an improvement from last season after finishing 11th in the 16-team Premier League, Anzhi bosses have been unhappy with the club's progress.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anzhi, who were in fourth place just a few weeks ago, dropped to seventh following a 2-2 home draw against Chechen side Terek Grozny on Monday.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CONSULTANT ROLE&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Local media also have questioned Gadzhiyev's ability to communicate with his top players, linking several high-profile coaches, such as England manager Fabio Capello and former Russia boss Guus Hiddink, with the job.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Israeli coach Avram Grant, a close friend of Kerimov, has been seen as a favourite to succeed the 65-year-old Gadzhiyev after attending several Anzhi matches in Russia in recent weeks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Asked last week if he was about to take the hot seat, the former Chelsea manager said: \"I can't say. Right now I'm just helping the team in a consultant role.\"&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gadzhiyev has had three different stints as Anzhi coach, leading them to fourth place during his first spell in 2000.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, Kerimov has been full of praise for 38-year-old Roberto Carlos, saying he will make the 2002 World Cup winner the Anzhi president when he retires.&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/soccer/2011/09/29/anzhi-coach>